A 57-year-old man from Palakkad district in Kerala, who died on July 12, suspects that he is infected with the Nipah virus, inspiring the government to ramps in the region and ramps under region-level surveillance.
The man was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in this northern district.
Health Minister Veena George said in a statement that her samples were tested at Manjari Medical College, where the result was positive for Nipah.
He said that the government is waiting for confirmation from the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
It is a death related to the second Nipa mentioned in Kerala in recent times.
A native of Malappuram died of an infection recently, while another patient in Palakkad district is hospitalized.
In response to the latest suspicious case, the government has increased the contact transportation and field-level surveillance in the region.
A list of 46 people in touch with the patient has been prepared.
CCTV footage and mobile tower location data have been used to help identify those in the contact list. A wide passage map of the patient’s recent movements is prepared, as well as to detect close contacts with a family tree.
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Health teams are now monitoring fever in the area to detect any possible symptoms in others.
“Field teams have been strengthened, and all available data is being used to monitor the situation,” George said.
Further steps will be taken after confirmation from the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
The minister has also directed the officials to pursue the response team in view of the seriousness of the case.
Officials have urged people in Palakkad and Malappuram districts to avoid unnecessary visits in hospitals, especially in current circumstances.
Officials said the visit of friends or relatives receiving treatment should be strictly limited. Only one person is allowed to go as a attendant with a patient.
An official release states that both healthcare workers and patients and their comrades, both, need to wear masks all the time.
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Meanwhile, the Health Minister also issued Nipah alert for hospitals in six districts.
The advisor has been sent for medical facilities in Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad and Thrissur. The Minister’s Office said that hospitals have been directed to report any patients resembling fever and symptoms, including the minister’s office, including encephalitis and high class fever.
According to WHO, the Nipa virus is a zoonotic disease that spreads from animals to humans and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or through direct human-human contact.
The Nipah virus contact list now includes a total of 543 people. Of these, 46 persons are linked to the new confirmed case, it said.
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